Endocrine Abstracts

The active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D3), is a potent regulator of the immune system and activation of the vitamin D receptor alters expression and secretion of cytokines, chemokines and cell adhesion factors. Initial studies suggested that 1,25D3 synthesis and metabolism are increased in renal epithelial cells by TNFα and IL-1β. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether vitamin D alters the expression of immune activated molecule...

Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), and the urocortins (UCN) play key roles in mammalian pathophysiology. Their actions are mediated through two types of G-protein coupled CRH receptors, (R1 and R2) which exhibit distinct pharmacological characteristics and determine specificity of CRH and UCN actions. Several CRH-R1 mRNA splice variants have been identified in native tissues, encoding receptor isoforms with various aminoacid inserts or deletions, termed R1β, R1c, R1d ...

In addition to well established role in coordinating mammalian adaptive responses to stressful stimuli, the family of “stress” peptides that includes corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) and urocortins (Ucns) are emerging as important regulators of the homeostatic mechanisms regulating energy balance and metabolism. CRH acting through specific G-protein coupled receptors, CRH-R1 and R2 can target multiple peripheral tissues such as skeletal muscle and adipose tissue...